1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to athletic equipment and particularly to racquets used in the play of tennis, racquetball, squash, badminton and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Racquets have been manufactured in various configurations for many years. Variations exist in the shape of the racquet head, the handle, grips, and the materials of construction for the above. However, in all cases, racquets are made with one handle and grip for one-handed play. That is to say, although the player may initially grip the handle with two hands, a play to his right requires letting go of the single handle with his left hand and playing with the right only. For a left-hand play, the player must switch the racquet handle from the right to the left hand, or reach across the body to play with one hand only.
A recent innovation by Cudlip (U.S. Pat. No. 4,721,305), utilizes two parallel shafts for the handle of the racquet. A single grip and a wristband are arranged on the handle so that the racquet is intended for single hand use only. It would still be necessary for the player to switch the racquet handle from one hand to the other. Racquets have been designed with angled grips and handles such as by Lee (U.S. Pat. No. 4,147,348) and by Stoller (U.S. Pat. No. 4,659,080). These improvements increase the comfort of the player and possibly improve hitting power. None of the prior art racquets however, allow the player to play `forehand` with either hand without a complicated grip-switching procedure, and none cater to or enhance the advantages of ambidextrous players. Thus, there exists a need for just such a racquet that can improve the performance of players.